SUSTAINING MUTUAL GAINS: Best Practices in Migration and Recruitment: A Symposium held in celebration of 60 years of Philippine-Canada diplomatic ties. Feb. 18, 2009. 8:30am-3:00pm at Environmental Studies Institute Conference Room, Miriam College Campus, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. For more details contact 435-9229 or email
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Amid global crisis, gov'ts urged to protect migrants' rights
by MARIA ALETA O. NIEVA, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/29/2008 7:08 PM
Migrants’ rights, protection and expansion of legal avenues and coherence within nations and across borders are the main concerns of the recommendations of 220 delegates of the Civil Society Days to the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Pasay City.
Sharan Burrow, Civil Society Days conference chairperson and president of the International Trade Union Confederation, on Wednesday officially submitted civil society’s recommendations to Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos jr., chair of the October 29-30 GFMD government meeting.
“The government will consider our recommendations. Clearly, we will monitor the progress in the lead up to 2009,” Burrow said.
“Our deliberations took place at an extraordinarily challenging time: as the world’s governments struggle for responses to the global financial crisis, and the threat of climate change, and as migration policies in many regions became more restrictive,” Burrow said, as she addressed representatives from 163 United Nations member-states gathered for the two-day intergovernmental meeting. Burrow said they are also urging governments to consider providing decent work for migrants.
“The Asia-Pacific region is dependent on migration, all their governments are here. Clearly, there's a lot of work to do but we urge them to not just focus on the financial crisis or the challenge of climate change but to recognize that the capacity for decent work and ecent work for migrants is inherently part of that solution,” said Burrow.
The GFMD’s has two components. One is the inter-governmental meeting and the other is the civil society conference. The Civil Society Days wrapped up its two-day conference last Tuesday.
“The themes for this year, took into account some of the key concerns, the questions of migrants rights, of expanding regular migration channel and of course, how you get policy coherence at the national and international level. Those issues were part of the high-level dialogue at the UN in 2006,” Burrow said.
Representatives of the Civil Society conference said they see the challenge of developing a global architecture for recognition, respect, rights and protection for migrants as the responsibility of the UN. Burrow cited the International Labor Organization (ILO) which predicted that 20 million workers will lose their jobs “as economic growth stalls, and some 100 million will struggle to live on less than US$2 a day.
“Many migrants will be affected, and their families will be amongst the newly impoverished. We must work to see that all migration is by free and informed choice,” she said.
She stressed that migration is not and cannot be used as a substitute for development policy.
“Governments have an obligation to create a framework of laws, policies and institutions that allows these positive potentials to be realize," she added.
Recommendations
The civil society group is asking the governments to consider three key recommendations:
• All governments are urged to consider the benefits of migration and resist the temptation to cut migrant numbers in the current economic circumstances.
• Governments are asked to recognize the need for the developments of global architecture to ensure a rights-based approach to migration. Further we ask that they urge the UN to bring the GFMD back within its formal mandate.
• Governments should re-affirm their commitment to development through realizing the Millennium Development Goal’s (MDGs), full employment and decent work as the priorities for development.
The Civil Society conference’s roundtable discussions included the following areas:
“Protecting the Rights of Migrants—A Shared Responsibility”;
“Empowering Migrants and Diaspora to Contribute to Development”;
“Fostering More Opportunities for Legal Migration and Managing Migration and Minimizing the Negative Impacts of Irregular Migration”;
“Strengthening Data and Research Tools on Migration and Development”;
“Policy and Institutional Coherence in Migration and Development within Government”;
“Regional Consultative Processes at the Interface of Migration and Development”;
“Best Practices: International Migration for the Benefit of Workers and Business: Best Practices from the Business and professional world”.
Efforts by select gov'ts
Burrow also acknowledged as valuable the commitment given by governments during their interface, which was led by the Philippine government.
She also lauded the government of the Netherlands for “setting the gold standard with their program of engagement with civil society delegates in the pre-planning, a briefing from civil society on issues raised and the commitment to follow up in 2009.
Burrow also congratulated countries such as Norway, France and Australia who have indicated their interest to work with representatives from the civil society at the national level before the next GFMD.
“We are proud to have had the opportunity to stand with and for migrant workers, to raise the veil on their invisibility and call for the respect recognition and rights that must underpin the guarantee of the choice to migrate and a confidence in equal treatment when they do,” she said.
Lastly, she said: “We stand ready to work in partnership with government at all levels to drive coherence, find mechanisms to enhance rights and support the opening up of regular migration opportunities.”
No assurance
For Ellene Sana, Executive Director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, they are still unsure how governments will respond to the issues laid down on the table by the civil society.
“We will be able to articulate concerns, the basic issues for us as civil society but again, a lot of the recommendations are addressed to the governments and we don’t know how governments will take the documents submitted to them,” Sana said.
They, however, were given the assurance by no less than the Manila GFMD chair that he will monitor the outcomes of the GFMD and check whether progress will be made before the next forum.
Forum on Migration, Development and Connectivity (a joint effort by CMA, MFA, AER and UP Solair) on Oct. 23, 2008, 1:30 p.m. at the U.P. School of Labor and Industrial Relations, Diliman, QC. For more info, click to download this file.
From IDEALS and the Women And Gender Institute (WAGÎ):
Forum on Migration and Health - Oct. 25, 8:30am – 5:30pm at the Asian Institute of Management.
For more details: download the presskit, or call IDEALS, Inc. at +632 436 5470, or email:
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Migration and development are traditionally treated as two separate programs. Today however, there has been a growing global movement that explores the relationship between development and migration. Countries of origin, transit and destination are coming together (both in civil society and government levels) to discuss and create coherent and sustainable policies that allow for migration to contribute positively to development and economic growth.
This website was created as a resource bank for those involved in consultations for the Philippine Agenda on Migration and Development. Here you will find more information on the ‘migration and development’ concept, the outcomes of National and Island Consultations and other initiatives undertaken in this field, as well as research and policy papers produced by key advocates of the agenda.
Best Practice in Temporary Labour Migration for Development: A Perspective from Asia & the Pacific
